Everything we know about the Gaza Football Club salary cap scandal

A shock announcement, 223 charges, six players, one club and a potentially disastrous penalty. Here’s everything we know about the Gaza salary cap breach scandal.

A new twist has emerged in the Gaza Football Club saga with the shock resignation of president Don Rosella, who claims he has been “deceived” by colleagues.

Rosella resigned on Tuesday night, a week after the club was found guilty of 223 counts of salary cap breaches throughout the 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022 Adelaide Footy League seasons in a two-day tribunal hearing with the SANFL at Adelaide Oval.

Justice Michael David, KC – the independent Salary Cap Commissioner – found the club guilty of all charges involving player payments, total player match payments, sign-on breaches and false contracts on Wednesday night, with the Eagles president now also facing a lengthy ban.

The tribunal followed Gaza’s appeal over charges laid by SANFL in September after a lengthy investigation of the breaches, with original penalties including a state sport record $380,000 fine as well as the deduction of player and premiership points.

Here is everything we know about the scandal:

‘DECEIVED’: ROSELLA’S SHOCK CALL

Rosella, who was found guilty of involvement in the breaches from 2021 to 2022, handed the club a letter of resignation on Tuesday with seven days’ notice.

A week earlier at the SANFL tribunal hearing, Rosella claimed he caught wind of breaches before becoming president in 2020 and tried to stop them by removing certain people from the club.

Rosella, who has also been a major sponsor of Gaza for the last seven years, told this masthead he was “deceived” by others at the club.

“I’ve been deceived and kept in the dark, especially when it comes to what happened in 2018 and 2019,” he said.

“I’ve known since last October that a certain group of people at the club were conspiring against me and that I’d be blamed for everything.

“They roped me into joining the committee and becoming a sponsor because the club needed money – they wanted me to help but then when things went bad they turned on me.

“I don’t ever want to step foot in a place where they shake your hand and then you get stabbed in the back.”

THE BREACHES

Breaches to salary cap were made throughout all four of the relevant years, while no breaches were found to have occurred in 2020, which was a covid-affected season.

Six players were involved in the overpayments throughout the four seasons.

The Eagles breached total weekly player payment limits of $3,000 17 times in 2018 and nine times in 2019.

The Adelaide Footy League’s weekly total player payment limit dropped to $2,500 in the following seasons, with Gaza breaching the threshold in almost every round of 2021 and doubling it in every round of season 2022.

The club also paid the six involved players over the weekly individual player payment limit of $400, later $500, dozens of times throughout 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022, and was found guilty of an upfront sign-on payment of $4,000 to a player in 2021.

Lawyers Andrew Culshaw and Garry Palasis, representing SANFL, also proved the club was falsifying player contracts in each season, paying individuals up to $600 more than their contracts – provided to the league – stated.

DON ROSELLA

Don Rosella played for Gaza in 1969 as an 18-year-old and would later return to the club to play C Grade in 2001 before joining the committee.

He then became president in 2020 and has remained in the role until now.

At the SANFL tribunal hearing, Rosella and lawyer Greg Griffin claimed he caught wind of breaches before becoming president and tried to stop them by removing the appropriate people from the club including former president Vince Cosmai.

Gaza president Don Rosella. Picture: Mark Brake

“The president and the treasurer were removed and I was voted in as president,” Mr Rosella said.

“As a consequence of his (Rosella’s) hard line position, he was completely kept out of the loop by the football department and had nothing to do with the payments,” Mr Griffin later added.

“Weak coaches and weak club officials sat back and let it happen.”

Adelaide Lawyer Greg Griffin represented Gaza at the tribunal hearing this week. Picture: Ben Clark

Mr Rosella was found guilty by Justice Michael David for involvement in breaches throughout 2021 and 2022 and for his part in the sign-on payment of $4,000 in 2021 despite alleging it was a loan of upfront match payments given to a player for personal reasons which was never paid back.

He faces a potential 10-year ban from holding any official role with a SANFL-affiliated club, while former club chairman Brett Pavils and football director Renato Tudorovic each face three-year bans.

PLAYER STATEMENTS

Statements provided by six Gaza players describing contracts, payment amounts and exchanges with club officials were key parts of the evidence used by SANFL during the tribunal.

It was found the club had used illegal payments to lure top talent, including former SANFL League players, to the club in 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022.

Gaza has been found guilty on 223 counts of salary cap breaches. Picture: Facebook

One former SANFL player was found to have been paid $600 more a game than his contract stated throughout the 2021 and 2022 seasons, while some of the other five names were also paid near the same amount in extra payments each week throughout the four-year period.

SANFL investigators were able to use the player statements to correct the false contracts and weekly payment spreadsheets provided by Gaza to the SANFL and AdFL, therefore concluding how much the club had breached individual player payments and weekly total player payments by in each season.

TEXT MESSAGES

Text messages containing discussions around payment amounts between club players and officials, which were provided to SANFL investigators by a Gaza player, were also used as evidence by SANFL lawyers during the tribunal hearing.

These text messages proved illegal payments of $700 a week were made to a player in seasons 2021 and 2022, despite his contract displaying a weekly amount of just $150, and that this was known to club officials and the coach at the time.

ANDREW JARMAN NOT INVOLVED

SA footy icon Andrew Jarman, who spent his junior footy years at Gaza, was not charged with involvement in illegal player payments despite being coach of the club in 2018 and 2019.

In a statement made to SANFL investigators last March, former Gaza captain and triple best and fairest winner Brett Heintze identified Jarman as the orchestrator of an arrangement under which he received a $4,000 sign-on payment in seasons 2018 and 2019.

Jarman after signing as Gaza coach in 2015. Picture: Dean Martin

Jarman told the Sunday Mail he was not aware of any allegations.

“I have never been investigated,” he said.

“It’s disappointing to hear.”

The SANFL eventually dropped charges for the illegal sign-on payments in those seasons.

CLUB PENALTIES

When charges were originally laid last September, it was revealed Gaza faced a fine of $380,000 – one which could potentially bury the club.

The club also faced the possibility of being stripped of player points used to recruit players under the Approved Player Points System through the next two years, and could begin next season with a deduction of 12 premiership points.

However, Justice Michael David will make submissions on penalties when the tribunal reconvenes on Tuesday, February 20, meaning lesser penalties may apply.

Mr Rosella claimed Gaza was in $80,000 worth of debt during his cross-examination, adding to fears the club would fold if charged the originally suggested amount.